Chicken fillet prices have reached 10 manats ($5.88) per kilogram at some retail outlets in Azerbaijan, according to shoppers and sellers interviewed in a television report.
Consumers said fillet had previously sold for 6.50 to 7.30 manats per kilogram. One seller featured in the report said the least expensive option at his shop now costs 8.50 manats per kilogram.
A rise from 7 manats to 10 manats amounts to about 43%. However, prices vary by producer and retailer, and the figures cited in the report should not be treated as a national average.
Whole chickens have also become more expensive at some stores. One seller said he previously charged about 4.50 manats per kilogram and now charges 5.20 manats, an increase of roughly 16%.
Sellers Point to Supply Pressure
Retailers offered differing accounts of the market. Some said suppliers were delivering less poultry than ordered, while others said daily shipments were arriving but selling out quickly.
They said fillet is the most sought-after cut, meaning empty shelves could reflect either limited deliveries or rapid sales. One seller also suggested that poultry diseases at production facilities had disrupted supplies, but the report did not provide supporting data from veterinary authorities or confirmation from producers.
High Red-Meat Prices Lift Chicken Demand
Economist Khalid Karimli said several factors may be contributing to higher retail prices. He said rising beef and lamb prices are prompting more consumers to choose chicken instead.
Karimli said increased demand, product shortages and higher production costs can create conditions for price increases. He added that producers responding to demand may also be seeking to offset part of their increased expenses and improve returns.
For household budgets, the difference can add up. A family buying five kilograms of fillet a month would spend 50 manats at 10 manats per kilogram, compared with 35 manats at a price of 7 manats. That is an additional 15 manats a month, or 180 manats a year if the gap persists.
Producers Say Factory Prices Are Unchanged
The Azerbaijan Poultry Meat and Egg Producers and Exporters Association said in response to an inquiry that factory-gate chicken prices had not changed from the same period a year earlier.
The association attributed a temporary shortage to stronger demand. Its representative said fillet was again available in sufficient quantities in stores and predicted no further increase if feed costs remain stable.
The accounts therefore diverge: sellers describe higher prices and incomplete deliveries, while the industry association points to unchanged factory prices and a temporary demand surge.
The report was based on a television segment. Read the original report on Vesti Baku.
Featured image: Cristian Guillen via Unsplash.